178 The Nomenclature of Agricultural Plants. [May, 



The Directing Authority might in the first place invite all the 

 leading wholesale seed houses to submit individual lists of the 

 standard varieties of agricultural plants which they consider : — 



(a) To have died out altogether, although the names are 

 still " listed." 



(b) To have been entirely superseded by better, new 

 varieties. 



(c) To be in no way different from, or to have degenerated 

 to, the parent stock. 



These lists should be amalgamated and submitted for the 

 consideration of an expert committee, it being fully understood 

 that the names of the firms submitting lists should in no way 

 be disclosed in connection with their individual suggestions. 

 From the amalgamated list a shorter (agreed) list might be 

 selected and published as an " Official List of Synonyms." 

 This would no doubt lead to quite an appreciable number of 

 obsolete and unnecessary names of varieties being cleared off 

 the market. 



Future Measures. — Committees similar to the Potato Synonym 

 Committee, but wuth wider functions, might be appointed to 

 deal with each species of plant which is of agricultural (or 

 market garden) importance. These committees must, how- 

 ever, be assisted by a most complete system of trials of yield 

 and quality; for these physiological characters are after all of 

 far greater importance to the grower than is any morphological 

 feature such as beards on wheat or panicle shape of oats. It is 

 essential that a broad view should be taken, and it should frankly 

 be recognised that it is not of the least ultimate importance 

 whether a production be a novelty or not unless, in some way, 

 it is an improvement on its predecessors. From this point of 

 view, these committees should discourage the naming of any 

 variety or strain merely because it presents new characteristics. 

 Merit should be the criterion, and on this proved merit such 

 variety or strain should be granted admission to its appropriate 

 Eegister, which should be kept by the organisation to whom 

 power shall have been delegated to nominate these committees. 

 The original entries into the respective Eegisters would be 

 those existing standard varieties which had gained admission 

 into the authentic list (mentioned above) compiled by the 

 Directing Authority referred to above. As is the case in Germany, 

 subsequent stocks would only be eligible on proof of conscious 

 effort, culminating in improvement, continued over a series 

 of years on the part of the producer. 



